St Margaret's, Collier Street Church of England Voluntary Controlled School

OFSTED INSPECTION REPORT St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School URN 118636: Inspection number 265751 Dates: 26-28 May 2004

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The following information is missing from the report.

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1. The following table should appear between paragraphs 8 and 9.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.2 School data 0.1 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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2. Table of lessons observed (preceding paragraph 10). The total number of lessons observed was 23.

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3. The financial statement preceding paragraph 24 relates to the financial year 2003-2004.

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ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary school School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 111

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Collier Street Nr Marden Kent Postcode: TN12 9RR

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01892 730264 Fax number: 01892 730264

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr S Barham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1997

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St Margaret’s is a small village school, for boys and girls aged four to eleven. Very nearly all pupils are white, with a very small number of Traveller pupils and pupils with minority ethnic backgrounds. There are no pupils with English as an additional language. Children join the reception class with average standards for their age overall, but many have weaknesses in speaking, listening and communication skills. An average proportion of pupils have special educational needs, but some classes have a high proportion of these pupils. Most of them have literacy and communication difficulties. Overall, the school’s social and economic circumstances are above average. The school site is immediately opposite a narrow road junction that is heavily used by freight vehicles. This causes constant problems for parents and pupils entering and leaving the school, and is potentially dangerous. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 5

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

17932 John Bald Lead inspector English History Religious education Music Special educational needs 11041 Marvyn Moore Lay inspector

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

32327 Sue Alton Team inspector Mathematics Science Art and design Geography Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

8552 Wallis Hart Team inspector Foundation stage Design and technology Art and design

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

6 East Point High Street Seal Sevenoaks TN15 OEG

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 6

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10-14

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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SUBJECTS IN KEY STAGES 1 and 2

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 27 St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 7

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OVERALL EVALUATION

St Margaret’s provides a very good education . Overall, standards in Year 6 are above average, and all groups of pupils achieve well. Care, relationships and provision for pupils’ personal development are excellent. The school is led and managed very well, and provides good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• The overall quality of teaching and learning is very good, and it has excellent features. • There is an excellent partnership between headteacher, staff, governors, and parents. • Standards in Year 6 are above average in English and mathematics. • Some subjects, including science, receive too little teaching time for pupils to achieve well. • Pupils’ writing is well organised and expressed, but spelling is weak in Years 5 and 6. • Excellent care and guidance helps pupils develop positive attitudes and to enjoy school. • Teaching assistants make a particularly effective contribution to teaching and learning.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good overall progress since its last inspection. Standards have been improved in mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT), and the school has extended its provision to ensure that all pupils, including those with learning and behavioural difficulties, are fully involved in its work. It has made effective use of new national initiatives, and has made very good improvements in its work for children in the foundation stage. Gifted and talented pupils are more effectively identified and achieve well overall, though they could still be more consistently extended. The headteacher and governors have developed the school site very well, and have good plans to improve it further.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English A A B B mathematics A C B A science B D C C Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good . It is very good, with excellent features, in the reception class and in Year 2, and good in Year 6. There are significant numbers of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6, and Year 6 standards during the inspection were lower than the most recent test results as a result of this. Nevertheless, achievement in Year 6 remains very good in mathematics, and good in English apart from spelling, which remains weak. Standards during the inspection were above average in physical education and in geography and average in other subjects, but achievement outside English and mathematics is held back by a shortage of teaching time. Standards in Year 2 were broadly average in all work seen, despite a high incidence of special educational needs in this year group. Children in the reception class are all in line to reach or exceed all early learning goals. Their achievement is very good overall, and excellent in language, literacy and communication,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

knowledge and understanding of the world, and personal, social and emotional development.

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Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall, and their moral

and social development is excellent . Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are excellent. They learn to St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 8 be co-operative, considerate and caring to their teachers and to each other. They enjoy working hard and helping others. Attendance is broadly average, but there is little unauthorised absence.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided is very good . The quality of teaching is very good . There is very good teaching in all classes throughout the school, most often in English and mathematics. Teaching is very good overall, with excellent features, in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2. All teachers form excellent relationships with pupils, and promote reading and speaking and listening very effectively. The effectiveness of teaching in some subjects in Years 3 to 6 is limited by a shortage of teaching time. Spelling is taught well in most classes, but this is not followed through into pupils’ work in Years 5 and 6.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Overall, the school curriculum is good. It is very good, with excellent planning, in the reception class and Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6, there is extensive provision for English and mathematics, but too little time for several subjects, including science. Care and guidance to pupils, and the school’s partnership with parents, are excellent. The school has a very good relationship with other schools and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good . The headteacher provides very strong and well informed personal leadership, and is effectively supported by other teachers with management responsibility. Leadership and management are very good in the foundation stage, in Years 1 and 2, in special educational needs provision, and in information and communication technology (ICT). Governance is very good; governors are very well informed, and fully involved in the direction of the school. They and the headteacher are fully committed to equal opportunities for all pupils. All statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils are highly satisfied with the school and give it high levels of support. There are high levels of voluntary help, and parents raised a large sum towards the cost of a new classroom.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Improve the allocation of time to each subject in Years 3 to 6, to allow teachers to plan for high standards and for the development of pupils’ reading and writing skills in each subject. • Improve teaching, learning and achievement in spelling in Years 5 and 6. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Standards are broadly average in Year 2 and above average in Year 6. This represents good overall achievement, with very good achievement in the foundation stage and Year 2 in view of these pupils’ starting points.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Year 6 are above average in English and mathematics. • Achievement in mathematics is very good. • Achievement in the foundation stage is very good; it is excellent in language, literacy and communication, knowledge and understanding of the world, and personal, social and emotional development. • Pupils with special educational needs make very good long-term progress, particularly in reading. • By Year 6, achievement in several subjects, including science, is satisfactory, but is held back by limited teaching time.

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Commentary

1. Children join the school with broadly average standards overall, but significant numbers have weaknesses in language and communication skills and in their personal, social and emotional development. Pupils’ long-term progress from this starting point is good, and very good overall in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2. The very well organised reception classroom promotes very good achievement across all areas of learning, and pupils’ outstanding progress in the areas where they are weakest when they join the school prepares them very well for the National Curriculum. Pupils’ excellent progress in knowledge and understanding of the world, in the context of the study of living things, provides an outstanding introduction to scientific thinking and to citizenship.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results reading 15.6 (15.2) 15.7 (15.8) writing 13.0 (13.6) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 16.1 (16.7) 16.3 (16.5) There were 16 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. Standards in Year 2 vary from year to year, partly as a result of the numbers of pupils with special educational needs. The standard of work seen during the inspection was broadly average in English and mathematics, but represented very good achievement from this group of pupils, two thirds of whom had been accurately identified as having special educational needs. It was not possible to observe a science lesson during the inspection, but work sampled showed evidence of good understanding and achievement. Pupils were also reaching above average standards in geography and in ICT. They develop good and confident skills in operating computers for their own purposes, and in entering data. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 10 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results English 27.9 (28.9) 26.8 (27.0)

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Commentary

mathematics 28.3 (27.0) 26.8 (26.7) science 28.7 (27.5) 28.6 (28.3) There were 14 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

3. These results were above average in English and mathematics, and average in science. In comparison with similar schools, they were above average for English and well above average for mathematics. In science, results are almost exactly in line with the national average and with those of similar schools. The standard of work seen during the inspection was similar to the 2003 test results in mathematics and science, and broadly average in English. In view of the number of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6, this represents good overall achievement, and very good achievement in mathematics, where pupils have a wide range of skills which they apply well in solving problems. In English, pupils do well in reading and in speaking and listening, but have significant weaknesses in spelling. In science, they are achieve good standards in the areas they cover, but the limited teaching time for science

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Commentary

restricts the range of their scientific knowledge, so that overall achievement in science is satisfactory.

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Commentary

4. Standards in Year 6 are above average in physical education, and were above average in work sampled in geography and in art and design in Years 3 and 4. Standards in ICT are improving thanks to very effective management and co-ordination, and are now at broadly average levels. Standards in work sampled in other subjects are broadly average overall. These subjects have good features in some topics that have been covered in detail, but suffer from lack of teaching time.

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Commentary

5. Very well organised provision for special educational needs across the school ensures that these pupils’ long-term achievement is very good. Gifted and talented pupils achieve well overall, though their achievement varies with the quality of provision in subjects, and could be more consistent. There is little difference in the achievements of boys and girls. Because of the variations in the composition of year groups, the trend in results from year to year needs to be treated with caution. It is broadly in line with the national trend in Year 6, but below it in Year 2. The school’s statutory targets were set at a demanding level in 2003, and the headteacher and governors have set lower targets in 2004, to take account of the higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs. 2003 results were well above the targets set, both for pupils reaching the nationally expected standard and for those reaching higher than expected levels.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Attitudes and behaviour are excellent, and the school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Attendance is broadly average.

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Main Strengths and Weaknesses

• Pupils’ excellent behaviour allows everyone in the school to focus on teaching and learning. • Pupils’ excellent attitudes make a key contribution to the school’s climate for learning. • Pupils support and help each other, and co-operate very well when working in groups. • Relationships are excellent among all groups of pupils. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 11 • Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is excellent, and for their spiritual development very good. • Cultural development is good overall, but held back by a lack of time for music

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Commentary

6. Pupils’ excellent attitudes and behaviour stem from the values they bring from home and from the school’s careful development of their spiritual, social and moral development from the time they join the reception class. Pupils have very clear guidance, with much praise and support for good behaviour, and teachers are quick to spot and tackle minor lapses. Because staff know that pupils will co-operate, they can set a brisk pace and plan whatever learning activities they think appropriate. Pupils with minority ethnic backgrounds and Traveller pupils are very well integrated into all aspects of school life.

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Commentary

7. School rules are simple and clearly understood, and pupils are involved in constructing their own class rules. As pupils move through the school, they have extended opportunities to take responsibility, for example, as school council members, monitors and buddies. There is very little bullying, and pupils and parents are confident in the way that the school deals with the rare instances that do arise. There have been no exclusions during the past ten years. Lunchtimes are pleasant, social occasions where pupils sit and eat together and develop social skills and understanding of one another’s views. In the playground, pupils play sensibly and older pupils act as mentors to younger pupils.

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Commentary

8. The school’s excellent promotion of social and moral development is the key to their excellent attitudes and behaviour. Pupils join the school with below average standards in their personal, social and emotional development, and the excellent start they receive in the nursery and reception class makes an immediate impact on their understanding of the importance of considerate behaviour, sharing and concentration. Care for others and the environment is presented as an attractive and happy choice to make, and this continues as pupils move through the school. The school’s Christian ethos is embedded in every aspect of its work, and gives pupils the understanding of principles that they need to distinguish right from wrong, and to choose to do what is right. Assemblies are of good quality, and pupils are given time to learn about the culture of other religions and for quiet reflection. Pupils are encouraged to be

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Commentary

reflective throughout the school day, and this shows in the thoughtfulness with which they conduct themselves. Pupils learn respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others, and have good understanding of the range of cultures in modern society, although the range of their cultural development is restricted by the allocation of time to some subjects, particularly music.

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Commentary

9. Attendance is broadly average and improving. The school monitors attendance on a first day of absence basis. It contacts parents promptly to request reasons for absence and works closely with the education welfare officer.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The overall quality of education is very good. The overall quality of teaching and learning is very good. The school provides excellent care, guidance and support for its pupils. The overall quality of the curriculum is good.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are very good overall in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2; in Years 3 to 6, teaching is good, with very good teaching in mathematics and in individual lessons in other subjects. The quality and use of assessment is good, and very good, with excellent features, in the reception class.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 12 • Teaching is consistently very good, and sometimes excellent, in the reception class and Years 1 and 2. • The overall quality of mathematics teaching is very good. • The talents and specialist skills of teaching assistants make a highly effective contribution to learning. • The management of classes and personal feedback to pupils are excellent. • Teaching and learning in several subjects are hindered by the allocation of teaching time. • Assessment is used very well to plan work in English, mathematics and ICT, but it is under-used in some other subjects. • Assessment in the reception class and Years 1 and 2 is very detailed and effective. • Assessment of pupils’ special educational needs is carried out to a very high standard.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in [number] lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

10. Teachers throughout the school know the subjects they teach well, and plan effectively to meet the needs of mixed-age classes. Their excellent relationships and management of pupils help the pupils themselves to develop excellent attitudes to work and study that make an outstanding contribution to learning throughout the school. Teachers have a particularly close and effective working partnership with teaching assistants, who are highly qualified and experienced, and have high levels of skill in several specialised areas, including art and design and speech and language development. This enables them to give very well informed support and guidance to individual pupils. As pupils work, teachers provide very effective guidance and feedback, which they follow through in discussions at the end of lessons, and in marking and homework. Pupils in all classes contribute to their own learning by their excellent behaviour and sustained

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Commentary

11. These excellent attitudes are the more significant because many children join the school with weaknesses in their personal, social and emotional development, and in communication skills. The excellent teaching carried out in the foundation stage in these areas, which is carried through to Years 1 and 2, lays the foundation for pupils’ long-term achievement. The high quality of teaching across all subjects in the reception class and Years 1 and 2 is founded on very careful planning that links each activity to a learning target, either from the national guidance for the foundation stage, or for the National Curriculum in Years 1 and 2. This ensures that each element of teaching re-inforces learning skills and achievement in other subjects. For example, very effective teaching of data handling in geography in Years 1 and 2 helped pupils to reach above-average standards in ICT and mathematics.

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Commentary

12. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is most successful when teachers have sufficient time for a subject, which they use to plan a range of activities that match the full range of learning needs in the class. This happens most frequently in mathematics and English lessons, and additional time for English is also used well to develop reading skills and pupils’ interest in books. The teaching of writing benefits from teachers’ excellent explanation of grammatical features, and from guidance based on a pyramid structure that encourages pupils to use an increasingly wide range of vocabulary and sentence construction. In most classes, this is accompanied by good teaching of spelling, but in Years 5 and 6 this is not consistent across the week, and pupils are not applying effective strategies for spelling in their writing. In some lessons in Years 3 to 6, time is too short to allow teachers to ensure that all pupils are fully extended, and some

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Commentary

St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 13 cross-curricular themes are not planned in enough detail to promote good standards across a range of subjects.

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Commentary

13. The school has made substantial improvements in its assessment procedures since the last inspection. They are now good overall, and have several very good features. Assessment is used very well to plan teaching and learning in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2, and continues to be carried out in very good detail in English and mathematics as pupils progress through the school. It is accompanied by clear target setting in these subjects, and by very effective informal assessment of pupils’ progress in lessons. The school’s recent improvement in ICT has also benefited from very clear assessment procedures. In other subjects, however, assessment is not used systematically to ensure that work is matched to the learning needs of the whole class, and this leads to a lack of challenge to the highest- attaining pupils in some lessons. Special educational needs are assessed accurately and in

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Commentary

detail at an early stage, and work is closely matched to pupils’ learning targets. This very effective assessment continues throughout the school, and is closely monitored by the governors.

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The curriculum

The overall quality of the curriculum is good, and there are good opportunities for enrichment outside lessons. The quality of staffing, accommodation and resources for learning is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Planning and learning opportunities are very good in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2. • There is a clear and effective focus on raising standards in English and mathematics. • Several subjects, including science, have too little teaching time in Years 3 to 6. • The curriculum makes effective provision for pupils of all abilities and aptitudes. • Planning for pupils’ personal development is consistently effective. • Cross-curricular work in Years 3 to 6 is not planned in sufficient detail.

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Commentary

14. The curriculum provides a good range of learning opportunities from the reception class to Year 6, and meets all legal requirements. It provides very well for pupils in the reception class to Year 2, where the range of learning opportunities is carefully tailored to individual needs, while taking full account of national guidelines. In Years 3 to 6, the curriculum makes very good provision for mathematics, and good provision for English, ICT, and physical education. However, the allocation of time for English and mathematics is much higher than in most schools, and this leaves too little time for several other subjects, including science, history, geography, religious education and design and technology. As a result, the range and depth of pupils’ skills in these subjects, and their potential contribution to literacy and numeracy, are not developed as much as they could be. While there is some cross-curricular work, this is not

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Commentary

planned in sufficient detail to promote progress in all of the subjects it covers.

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Commentary

15. Co-ordinators work effectively to ensure consistent learning within their subjects, and the curriculum is adapted well to provide equal opportunities for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are gifted and talented. The orientation of the curriculum in the reception class to Year 2 to tackle pupils’ weaknesses in language, literacy and communication is very effective, and they make a very good transition to work on the National Curriculum. The school provides good range of additional enrichment opportunities, including visits, opportunities to learn and perform music, reading club, a church club and very well attended sports clubs. These clubs provide equally for all pupils, and those with additional learning needs are well supported. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 14 16. The school is well staffed and has good resources for learning. Teachers and teaching

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Commentary

assistants are well qualified and deployed. Talents among the staff are identified and fully used. The use of a specialist games coach is raising standards in physical education. Displays are attractive and stimulate learning as well as celebrating achievement; for example, a display based on Noah’s ark in Years R and 1 was used to investigate colour in art and science. Accommodation is good overall. The new classroom for the foundation stage is spacious and well designed, but the size of the hall limits the teaching of gymnastics for older pupils.

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Care, guidance and support

Provision for pupils’ care and health and safety is excellent. All pupils have excellent access to well informed support, advice and guidance. Involvement of pupils through seeking, valuing and acting on their views is excellent.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has excellent procedures to ensure that pupils work in a healthy and safe environment. • The involvement of pupils through seeking, valuing and acting on their views is excellent. • The school provides unobtrusive and highly effective additional support to those who need it. • All adults know pupils very well, and provide excellent support, advice and guidance.

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Commentary

17. The school offers a very high standard of care for all its pupils. All statutory requirements, including those for child protection, are fully in place, and carefully carried through. Staff supervise pupils well in and out of classrooms. Induction arrangements for young children are excellent. A whole day in school in the term before they join, and a meeting with their new teacher the week before they start, gives pupils a secure start to their school life. Pupils with minority ethnic backgrounds and Traveller pupils receive excellent support. Teachers and assistants monitor pupils’ personal development and academic progress closely, and regularly share information, so that talents and additional learning needs are quickly identified. Pupils of all ages told inspectors that they could rely on teachers and other adults to take their concerns seriously and respond appropriately to them.

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Commentary

18. The school makes excellent arrangements to involve pupils through seeking, valuing and acting on their views. Two pupils from each year group are elected to the school council, which meets regularly and discusses its work with all other pupils. The council includes pupils with minority ethnic backgrounds and special educational needs, and there is effective encouragement for all to take part. Pupils appointed as monitors and buddies feel that staff treat them as responsible young people and value their views.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has excellent links with parents, and very good links with other schools, colleges and the community. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 15

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents very strongly approve of the school’s work, and give it a high level of support. • Procedures to ensure satisfaction and to deal with concerns or complaints are excellent. • Parents receive very good information about the school and about their children’s progress. • Parents are very well informed when their children join and leave the school.

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Commentary

19. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting and in responses to the questionnaire expressed exceptionally high levels of support for the school. Favourable responses were 100 per cent in some categories, and above 90 per cent in every category. Home-School partnerships are excellent. Parents are extremely happy with all the facilities that the school provides and feel that they can approach the headteacher and staff at any time. Newsletters, the prospectus, the governors’ annual report and a special prospectus for younger pupils are well written and informative. All groups of parents, including Traveller parents, are closely involved with the school and support learning both at home and in voluntary work in school and on trips. The parent-teacher association arranges social functions throughout the year and raises large sums for school funds.

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Commentary

20. Links with the community are very good. The school has strong links with the church and regularly submits articles for publication in the parish magazine. The community supports the school’s annual pet show, which raises large sums of money. It became a focus of support and help for the village during the recent flood crisis situation.

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Commentary

21. There are close links with other schools. The school is an active member of the Weald Consortium and Maidstone One Cluster, which the headteacher helps organise. Arrangements for pupils to move on to secondary school are very good. Year 6 pupils spend a day at their new secondary schools and link secondary teachers visit the school to give demonstration lessons. The school arranges regular meetings with the parents of Year 6 pupils to discuss 11+ options; parents and pupils value this guidance, but feel free to make their own decisions.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good. The headteacher provides very strong leadership and management, and a well-organised and effective governing body ensures very good governance. The leadership and management of other staff are good overall, and have very good features.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and governors work closely together to provide clear and effective direction. • There is a strong sense of teamwork and commitment among all adults in the school. • Teaching and learning are closely monitored, and supported by effective training. • There is outstanding provision for the personal development and involvement of all pupils. • Very effective financial management is leading to very good development of the site and resources. • There is very good management of special educational needs, the foundation stage and ICT.

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Commentary

22. The headteacher’s strong personal lead is supported by well organised and committed governors, several of whom bring relevant professional experience to the work. They are given strong support by the parents. This partnership generates a strong sense of community and common purpose which involves all teachers, teaching assistants, administrative and other staff, and extends to the pupils. All pupils know that they are expected to do their best and to St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 16 contribute to the community, that their work and personal contribution is valued, and that teaching will enable them to achieve well. This is central to the school’s Christian ethos, and ensures that it is put into practice. The headteacher and governors use all available means to monitor standards and progress, in the context of fluctuations in the school population, which require data to be used with caution. Governors are in close touch with all aspects of school

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Commentary

life. They are fully involved in development planning and set suitable targets for improvement. Their highly effective management of the site and of finances is a major contribution to extending the quality of the school’s service to all of its pupils. There are no breaches of statutory requirements.

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Commentary

23. Members of staff with management responsibilities carry them out consistently effectively. Co- ordinators are well organised, and work closely with the headteacher on development planning and to provide support for colleagues. However, the work of several co-ordinators is made more difficult by the very limited time allocated to several subjects in the curriculum. The headteacher and senior staff monitor teaching and learning closely, and take effective action to tackle weaknesses as well as to recognise and promote effective teaching. Teaching assistants are fully involved in the monitoring and training process.

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Commentary

Financial information for the year April [year] to March [year] Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 378,714 Balance from previous year 38,142 Total expenditure 331,543 Balance carried forward to the next 85,313 Expenditure per pupil 3,763

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Commentary

24. Careful budgeting since the last inspection has enabled the school to build a new classroom that provides very good accommodation for the reception class and Year 1, including an outdoor play area. The current balance is to be used to for further building work, particularly to improve provision for indoor physical education and creative activities. The school has developed a small but effective ICT suite, which enables all pupils to have regular lessons in half-classes. While the cost per pupil is well above average, the school’s provision for their personal as well as their academic development represents very good value for money. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 17

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children in the foundation stage start at the age of four, and are taught in a mixed class which contains some pupils in Year 1. Their achievement is very good, and excellent in communication, language and literacy, personal and social education and knowledge and understanding of the world. Despite significant difficulties in language, learning and communication and in social skills when they join the school, the children are likely to exceed the goals they are expected to reach by the end of the year in all six areas of learning.

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Teaching is very good, with excellent features. It is very well planned, with activities carefully designed to promote learning in all parts of the classroom, and carried out with exciting pace and cheerful purpose. Children respond excellently to the high expectations and excellent care of a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled adults. The teacher, teaching assistant and parent volunteers have very clear understanding of each child’s achievement, and of what should be learned next. Children start when they are four. The greatest care is taken to ensure that children settle in happily, and Year 1 pupils provide a friendly welcome and help show new children how to behave. Assessment procedures are thorough and manageable, with very good early identification and support for children with special educational needs. Some targets for other pupils, however, could usefully be more precise. Parents speak highly of the discussions they have with the school about individual

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

achievement and how much the children benefit from learning in a safe and cheerful atmosphere.

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

During the past year, a very well planned environment for learning has been created in new accommodation; much has been achieved in a short time. All children benefit from very good access to the outdoor play area. The priorities for further improvement in this mixed age provision are very good and the co-operation between the teacher, the learning assistant and parent volunteers is excellent. Provision has shown very good improvement since the last inspection, and is set to improve still more.

p.17

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is excellent .

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Excellent expectation and guidance helps children to become enthusiastic learners. • Children gain confidence by making choices and through discussion with adults. • Children feel safe, enjoy healthy snacks and learning. • Relationships are excellent throughout the class. • Children develop a strong sense of responsibility and of consideration for others.

p.17

Commentary

25. Children quickly develop a strong sense of confidence, based on the knowledge that they are succeeding and that they work in a safe environment with friendly and trusted adults. They respond extremely well when asked to line up and to enter the classroom quietly. At play they enjoy adult company, and also show high levels of consideration for others.

p.17

Commentary

26. Excellent planning and very good quality resources encourage pupils to make choices. They are able to do this with confidence because they learn new skills and have very good opportunities to practise them with varying degrees of support from very well informed adults. The teacher, teaching assistant and parent volunteers, provide excellent support to build St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 18 confidence and self-esteem, so that children are happy and work hard. Small lapses in behaviour or consideration for others are very quickly noticed and put right.

p.17

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is excellent .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• All children, including those with learning difficulties, make outstanding progress. • Language development is carefully built into all learning activities. • All adults speak and communicate very clearly, and take time to listen to children. • The early teaching of literacy is wide-ranging, systematic and effective. • Additional specialised teaching for children with learning difficulties is very effective.

p.18

Commentary

27. Excellent teaching is built on detailed knowledge and understanding of patterns of learning in children, including those with learning difficulties. All adults speak very clearly to children, with accurate pronunciation, and expect them to communicate clearly in return. Activities throughout the class encourage children to think and to develop increasingly precise use of language. Teachers use a wide range of rhymes, stories and dramatic activities in early literacy work. Those with speech problems are given very effective additional teaching by a trained assistant. Children are carefully taught to recognise letters and to form them consistently. Their early writing is very readable, and they are very well prepared for the National Curriculum. Teachers write very careful, dated comments about what has been achieved in children’s books, and monitor progress closely.

p.18

Commentary

28. Most children are currently working above the expected level for their age, and are likely to exceed the early learning goals for speaking and listening by the time they start Year 1. This represents excellent progress from the standard reached by many of the lower-attaining children less than one year ago. Higher-attaining children made excellent progress when discussing germinating cress seeds with a very well informed parent volunteer.

p.18

Commentary

Example of outstanding practice Excellent planning and organisation enabled a mixed reception and Year 1 class to make outstanding progress in several areas of learning, and particularly in language, literacy and communication. Returning from assembly, children found something that immediately caught their imagination and interest wherever they looked in the classroom and outside area. Throughout the session, they were free to choose whatever activity they wanted, and to change activities, but whatever they chose was calculated to lead to specific and highly effective learning. This was the result of excellent planning that matched specific activities to each stepping-stone in the national guidance, and led on to equally well planned activities for the National Curriculum in science for those who had already reached early learning goals. As a significant number of pupils had begun school with difficulties in language and communication, the teacher and a parent volunteer took care to

p.18

Commentary

engage all of the children in conversation about their activities, encouraging them to make their meaning clear. A teaching assistant, who had had specialised training, provided very effective additional support with aspects of speech that had been identified as difficult for individual children. As the session progressed, the teacher and other adults gave pupils sensitive feedback on their learning and play, helping them sustain concentration, suggesting extensions to the learning, and gently dealing with any minor lapses, such as over-energetic use of large wheeled toys. The range of activities in the classroom was particularly effective in promoting independent and co-operative learning, and offered a combination of practical activities, including gardening and growing plants, and more abstract work using a well-chosen computer program. A very well structured final discussion allowed children to share what they had learned, and to decide what to do about areas that could be improved.

p.18

Commentary

This provided a clear focus for children’s personal and social development for the remainder of the morning.

p.18

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 19 Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children make very good progress when playing number games and measuring plants. • Limited vocabulary limits some children’s ability to apply their number skills in solving problems. • There are too few stimuli for children to use number out of doors.

p.19

Commentary

29. Opportunities to observe children using number skills were limited because the focus on number skills is alternated on a two-weekly cycle with language work. However, children were making very good progress in the work that was seen, and are on track to exceed the early learning goals for this area of learning. Displayed work showed good mathematics development indoors, although the school has not yet integrated number work into its new outdoor play area.

p.19

Commentary

30. Teaching is very good, and makes particularly good use of the skills of the teaching assistant. Children spoken to were able to move numbers along a ‘washing line’ to show that they could confidently sequence numbers and count up to ten and beyond. Higher-attaining children spot and correct mistakes in their own work. Children are able to sort shapes into categories and use technical words such as cylinder and cube. As in other areas of learning, the positive relationships and sheer enjoyment have a really positive effect on the achievements of individuals.

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is excellent .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Excellent use of stimulating resources engages and motivates children and extends understanding. • Planning incorporates enriching and exciting activities off-site to accelerate understanding beyond that expected for this age group. • Detailed planning enables the adults to ask the right questions at the best time so conversations are thoughtful and productive. • There is excellent transition to National Curriculum science.

p.19

Commentary

31. Excellent organisation and management combined with very good teaching make this aspect of learning a major strength. Resources, indoors and outdoors, are organised to develop children’s understanding of the importance of habitat and of other conditions needed to sustain animal and plant life. The quality of display is excellent, and children can observe it and talk about matters such as the life cycle of the frog using correct vocabulary. Children learn how to look after plants, and to use careful observation to draw plants and flowers. A parent helper engaged in a very productive discussion with children who had been growing cress. As a result of very good questioning, the children looked for similarities and differences and answered questions about the essential requirements of water and sunlight for a growing seedling. Lessons end with a lively review and active participation, and children show pride in their new

p.19

Commentary

32. Children’s understanding of plants, animals, and the interrelation of living things is significantly above average for their age. They also have a good sense of time, having been able to talk with visiting grandparents about how things were in their day. The social and moral issues raised St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 20 throughout this area of learning make an excellent contribution to children’s personal development.

p.19

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development was not inspected in detail but curriculum planning and the observation of children shows that achievement in this area is good. The very good equipment installed outside enables children to experiment with balancing and swinging above ground in an imaginative way and also in safety. However, the facilities outside do not allow children to learn to control toys with big wheels accurately because there is no marked out route for them to follow. Opportunities for pulling and pushing in safety are also limited. Indoors, achievement was very good as children learned to use scissors carefully and accurately. A significant number of children joining the school lack confidence and do not appreciate the need to be accurate. The teaching assistant was addressing this issue very well. Children were also seen using the mouse well to operate the computer. Work on display shows accurate handling of pencils and coloured crayons to show

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Creative development was sampled, and all evidence from this pointed to very good provision and achievement. The planning is very good. Some very good work was on display and there were creative aspects to the session on dance observed in the school hall. Individual interpretations in seed collages and textured faces made from selections of nuts show a good range of exciting expressions. Some displays show excellent collaborative work, making full use of the talents of the teaching assistant to guide the pupils. Boys were pleased to show their models of space vehicles complete with ‘bullet holes’. In the hall the children once again displayed excellent attitudes. They concentrated hard to match their movements to the rhythm of the music. They benefited from the very good co-operation between the teacher and the assistant. In this lesson the two adopted almost identical roles. Whilst the lesson ended on a high note with each individual skipping out in

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

time with the music there was no involvement of the children in assessing the progress that had been made. Nevertheless in keeping with the view that themes provide the best opportunities for the development of skills, the pastel shaded flower pictures, drawn in the topic on plants, were impressive. Several children talked enthusiastically about their opportunities to use good resources to set up their own pet-shop but the latter did not appear to be used routinely.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most teaching is well adapted to pupils’ learning needs, and the best is excellent. • Pupils read and speak confidently and fluently, and develop good knowledge of grammatical structures. • Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have weaknesses in their knowledge and understanding of spelling. • The school is very effective in fostering pupils’ interest in and enjoyment of books. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very well organised and effective. • There are good arrangements to assess pupils’ work and track progress. • The subject is led and managed well, with good use of new initiatives.

p.20

Commentary

33. Standards vary from year to year, chiefly depending on the composition of year groups, which are significantly smaller than in most schools. In each of the last four years, national test results have been above average or well above average in Year 6. While Year 6 work seen St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 21 during the inspection was broadly average, it represented good achievement in view of the high proportion of pupils in this year group with special educational needs. In Year 2, 2003 test results were below average in reading, and well below average in writing; these results had, however, been affected by staffing difficulties. The standard of Year 2 work seen during the inspection was close to average levels, and showed good improvement from these pupils’ performance in national tests, which had taken place shortly before the inspection. As these pupils had particularly significant special educational needs, this represents very good

p.20

Commentary

34. Pupils in Year 6 have strengths in reading comprehension, speaking and listening and understanding of grammatical structures. This leads to above-average standards in speaking and listening, particularly in expressing their meaning precisely, and to good use of complex sentence structures in writing. Their spelling, however, is weak because most rely solely on patterns of sound for spelling, and have too little knowledge and understanding of other elements of the spelling system. Gifted and talented pupils do particularly well in reading throughout the school, and the best of their work approaches broadcast standards. Pupils with special educational needs make very good long term progress in reading, although their writing in Year 6 is particularly affected by weak spelling.

p.21

Commentary

35. Teaching and learning are very good overall. The most consistent strengths in teaching are with the younger pupils, where teaching is particularly well matched to the needs both of the highest-attaining pupils and of the significant number who have special educational needs. Well planned teaching of writing and spelling in Years 3 and 4 leads to very good progress, and the writing of pupils who took Year 2 national tests in 2003 is now well up to the standard expected for their age. The teaching of reading is systematic and effective throughout the school, with work well matched to individual needs, so that pupils with reading difficulties develop fluency and confidence, which they pass on to others. Teachers plan lessons very well, with an interesting range of activities, and all give very clear explanations to pupils, using the structures of the school’s writing initiative to develop clear understanding of grammar and

p.21

Commentary

issues in choosing vocabulary; this aspect of teaching is excellent. Pupils work hard and sustain concentration very well in reading and writing. They read regularly at home, and develop a love of books. Marking is clear and very informative for all pupils, who are effectively involved in evaluating their own work and setting targets. While the teaching of spelling is very effective in most classes, it is not followed through into pupils’ independent writing in Years 5 and 6. The National Literacy Strategy is used flexibly, so that pupils have good time for sustained work. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 22 Example of outstanding practice Excellent adaptation of the principles of the National Literacy Strategy to meet the needs of a mixed Years 1 and 2 class led to outstanding progress in sustained writing, particularly for pupils with learning difficulties . The teacher had decided, from pupils’ previous work, that they needed more time and preparation if they were to

p.21

Commentary

make progress in their writing. This excellent lesson followed a visit to a country park that pupils had enjoyed. They were further prepared for their writing by discussion and a system of prompts. These were based on a pyramid structure that began with simple elements of writing, such as marking sentences with full stops, and became progressively more complex, so that the skills of higher-attaining pupils could be extended. Pupils were then given forty minutes writing time, with guidance on using it and further prompts to keep them on track. As pupils wrote, the teacher and teaching assistant moved among them, giving praise and encouragement, and also pointing out where points needed to be checked, with guidance on how to check them. This balance of challenge and support was particularly helpful for the weakest writers, whose special educational needs had limited their performance on recent national tests, taken a few weeks earlier. By the end of the forty minutes, all pupils in

p.22

Commentary

both year groups had sustained their concentration and produced work in line with the nationally expected standard for their age, and most, particularly the lowest-attaining pupils, had made considerable progress from the writing they had produced for the national tests. Effective timekeeping allowed the teacher to provide a very well-directed final discussion, in which she redirected pupils’ attention to the key points they had incorporated into their writing, and asked very clear and well-directed questions that enabled pupils to consolidate their learning by explaining the thinking behind their writing. The excellence of the lesson was contained just as much in its contribution to long- term progress as in the writing that pupils had produced during it.

p.22

Commentary

36. Leadership and management are good and have outstanding features. The co-ordinator has excellent professional knowledge and understanding of literacy and language development, and works closely with the headteacher to shape policy to the needs of the pupils, using the school’s own assessments and the results of national tests to identify areas for improvement. There are particular strengths in the development of speaking and listening, particularly for pupils who join the school with weak communication skills, in the systematic promotion of reading, and in identifying and using new approaches to tackle problems. The use of ICT in teaching is, however, underdeveloped, and monitoring has not fully ensured that good strategies for spelling used with younger pupils are carried through into Years 5 and 6. Management of the transition from the reception class to the National Curriculum is excellent.

p.22

Commentary

Since the last inspection, the school has adapted its work well to the changing needs of pupils, and has maintained a similar pattern of standards, despite an increase in the number of pupils starting school with language and communication difficulties. Improvement since the last inspection has therefore been good.

p.22

Language and Literacy across the curriculum

37. The school makes good use of a range of techniques, including drama, to promote speaking and listening. Pupils read widely, and there are good examples of writing in subjects, including direct observation in science writing in Years 1 and 2, and good writing in some history and geography lessons in Years 3 to 6. However, teachers in Years 3 to 6 have too little time for most subjects to enable them to plan consistently for the development of reading and writing skills, and some written work involves too much copying. This holds back the contribution of subjects other than English to the development of pupils’ literacy skills, and also limits achievement in the subjects themselves, as pupils have too few opportunities for independent thinking and research.

p.22

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is very good . St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good teaching leads to above-average standards and very good achievement by Year 6. • There are very effective systems for monitoring and tracking each pupil’s progress. • A minority of lessons are too long for some pupils to sustain their concentration. • The subject is very well led and managed.

p.23

Commentary

38. Standards vary from year to year, but are broadly average in Year 2 and above average in Year 6. National test results in Year 6 were above average in 2003, and have been well above average in comparison with similar schools for the past two years. The above-average standards seen during the inspection represent very good achievement in view of the number of pupils in the year group who have special educational needs. The average standards reached in Year 2 during the inspection represent very good achievement for the same reason. There are no significant differences between the performance of boys and girls. Across the school, pupils develop confidence in a broad range of mathematical skills, including data analysis, ratio and number work. They apply these skills well in solving problems.

p.23

Commentary

39. The overall quality of teaching and learning is very good. Lessons are well planned and taught at a very good pace, with high levels of co-operation from pupils. Assessment is very good. Teachers review pupils’ learning every week and adapt their planning to take account of this. Work is always marked and identifies areas for improvement. In some classes, the involvement of pupils in assessing their own understanding has been very effectively introduced. Teaching assistants provide very effective support for pupils with special educational needs. All of these factors lead to very good long-term progress, and higher- attaining pupils achieve very well, applying new knowledge effectively to challenging tasks. However, lessons are significantly longer than the nationally recommended time, and this sometimes slows the pace of work.

p.23

Commentary

40. The subject is very well led and managed by the co-ordinator. She is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and she has established the very effective systems for monitoring learning and progress. She uses this information to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning and progress, both of which are shared with colleagues and incorporated into the subject improvement plan. The school has developed a good collection of resources for learning, and is making increasingly effective use of ICT to promote a range of mathematical skills. Overall, it has made very good improvement in the consistency of teaching, learning and achievement since the last inspection.

p.23

Mathematics across the curriculum

41. The school makes satisfactory provision for mathematics in planning for other subjects. There is good mathematical calculation in design and technology, and some very good early data handling for younger pupils in geography.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• By Year 6, pupils have good skills in designing experiments. • Lack of time limits pupils’ knowledge and understanding of other aspects of science. • Work sampled in Years 1 and 2 showed evidence of good achievement. • Leadership and management have a clear focus on raising standards. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 24 42. Over recent years, results in national tests In Year 6 have been average and in line with those of similar schools. The standard of work seen in Year 6 during the inspection was broadly average and represented satisfactory achievement. Pupils have good strengths in aspects of the subject they have studied in detail, including the design of experiments and prediction of likely results. The range of their knowledge and overall achievement is, however, limited by the allocation of time for science, which is much lower than in most schools and takes away some

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

of the benefit to pupils of the strengths in the school’s teaching. Boys and girls reach similar standards, and pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Teachers’ assessments in Year 2 showed average standards in 2003. No teaching of science was seen in Year 2, but analysis of pupils’ work and of displays, and discussions with staff and pupils, provided evidence of above-average standards and good achievement. Pupils can predict the animal and plant life they may see outside the school, where it might be found and the reasons for this. They can label the parts of a flower accurately. Overall, achievement in science is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

43. The quality of teaching and learning are good, and very good teaching was seen for the group of Year 1 pupils taught with the reception class. The lack of time for science in Years 3 to 6, however, gives teachers too few opportunities to extend pupils’ skills across the full range of the National Curriculum, so that this good teaching leads to only satisfactory achievement by Year 6. Teachers have good knowledge and understanding of science, and the school’s recent emphasis on using and applying science in a range of situations is raising standards. The very good teaching in Year 1 allowed pupils to develop clear understanding of animals in their habitats, and was part of a much wider programme of scientific investigation that helped all pupils to make the transition from the reception class to the National Curriculum. Assessment is used well to inform teachers’ planning – they identify the skills pupils need to develop their

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

scientific understanding, and plan the activities around this.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

44. Within the constraints of time, the co-ordinator provides effective leadership and management. She knows the subject well and has audited strengths and weakness in the subject and produced an action plan to support this. The local environment and visits are used effectively to support the learning of science. Resources for science are good. Overall, standards in science are similar to those at the time of the last inspection in Year 6, and there has been some improvement in the range and quality of work in Year 2. Progress has been satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers present and explain work clearly, so pupils know what is expected and try hard. • Teachers teach pupils to use computers thoughtfully in order to produce good work. • Progress is systematically assessed, but pupils are not involved enough in this process. • The computer suite is used well, and there is a good collection of software. • Very good co-ordination puts the school in a very good position to make further improvements.

p.24

Commentary

45. Standards in Year 2 are above average. Pupils use recently learned skills to improve the accuracy of written text and know how to save and to retrieve their work. They are keen to improve work and see the computer as a useful tool for improving quality. Through Years 1 and 2, pupils achieve very well because of skilled teaching in small groups, closely focused on their individual needs. Teachers and teaching assistants teach to the same high standard. Standards in Year 6 are average. Pupils use computers with confidence for a good range of purposes. They think carefully about quality and modify page set up, rotate diagrams, enlarge St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 25 or reduce and move blocks of text accurately. While overall achievement is satisfactory, pupils are currently making good progress in response to well-focused teaching and their own commitment and hard work.

p.24

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are good, and the best teaching is very good. Lessons are very carefully planned to develop specific skills. These are clearly explained to pupils, and teachers and teaching assistants provide close personal support throughout lessons. A very good feature is teachers’ willingness to show alternative or better ways of doing things so the children can choose what is best for them. There is a strong recognition of pupils’ varying learning styles, and a good review of progress at the end of each lesson.

p.25

Commentary

47. Leadership and management are very good. Much has been achieved with limited resources in a short time period by the present co-ordinator, who has been very well supported by the headteacher. In turn, information from training has been shared, building up the subject knowledge and understanding of all teachers and teaching assistants. There were some weaknesses in provision during the last inspection. The school has made a good improvement from this position, and its present rate of improvement is very good.

p.25

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

48. ICT was used very well during the inspection to promote science and knowledge and understanding of the world in the reception class and Year 1, and to teach data handling in geography in Years 1 and 2. Older pupils use ICT to produce a school magazine, and to investigate the construction of castles in history, though some activities in history did not provide enough opportunities for pupils to investigate issues for themselves. Overall, the use of ICT across the school is satisfactory, with good features; the school is well placed to develop it further.

p.25

HUMANITIES

49. Because of the timetable, and the low allocation of time to these subjects, it was not possible to inspect any subject in this curriculum area fully. History, religious education and geography were sampled by observing parts of lessons and analysis of pupils’ work. Cross-curricular work combining history with drama, mathematics and English was also observed.

p.25

HUMANITIES

50. Work sampled in geography showed above-average standards and good achievement. Pupils have had an opportunity to study a wide range of topics. Teachers use media well to raise pupils’ awareness of geography in everyday life through newspaper articles. A good example of this is the recent change to countries in Europe, which was used to reinforce previous learning about Europe. Discussions with the co-ordinator and analysis of development planning also showed evidence of good provision. There is a good audit of the subject, with plans for further improvement, and the subject makes good used of the local environment. Teaching observed in Years 1 and 2 was making good use of maps, and very good use of ICT for data handling.

p.25

HUMANITIES

51. Work sampled in history took place in the context of cross-curricular work, based on a visit to a Tudor site that had taken place the previous day. Most of this work was of broadly average standard. While pupils’ writing in Years 3 and 4, and their use of ICT in Years 5 and 6, showed good understanding of historical detail, the historical element in much of the cross-curricular work was not planned in sufficient detail to extend higher-attaining pupils’ thinking and analytic skills, and some of the older pupils’ work was restricted in scope, at times because of too much copying. Discussions with the co-ordinator indicated that, while provision for history is sufficient to meet National Curriculum requirements, the number of topics covered and time allocated to the subject are significantly lower than in most schools, and this limits standards and achievement.

p.25

HUMANITIES

52. The range of work sampled in religious education was more limited than that in history, and provided too little evidence on which to base a judgement on standards and achievement. The St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 26 subject is taught in half-hour weekly lessons, sometimes combined with personal, social and health education. This gives a much lower amount of time than in most schools, though there is sufficient to meet legal requirements. There is also is effective additional teaching of religious education in the context of assemblies.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Physical education was inspected fully. Art and design was sampled by observing a lesson and analysing pupils’ work on display, and design and technology was sampled by analysing pupils’ work. Work sampled in both of these subjects was of good overall quality, with very good work in art and design for children in the reception class and in Year 1, who used a wide range of materials to create beautiful displays under the guidance of the teacher and teaching assistant. Standards and achievement in the single art and design lesson observed during the inspection, in Years 3 and 4, was also very good. It benefited from the specialist skills of the teaching assistant, who gave strong guidance and encouraged pupils to take risks in order to learn, even if that meant making mistakes. The range and quality of work in design and technology also indicated good achievement, and high levels of enjoyment among the pupils. Work sampled in both subjects was making an important

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

contribution to pupils’ personal development. It was not possible to sample music teaching during the inspection, as all music was timetabled for other days of the week. Pupils did, however, sing very tunefully in assemblies.

p.26

Physical education

Provision in physical education is good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching, learning and achievement are very good in games. • Plans do not always take into account the limitations of the hall for gymnastics. • There are very good opportunities for learning beyond lessons. • The subject is very well co-ordinated.

p.26

Commentary

53. Standards in Year 6 are above average overall and achievement in games is very good. It was not possible to make a full observation of teaching in Years 1 and 2, but a partial observation showed evidence of very good achievement.

p.26

Commentary

54. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and very good in games, which is taught by a specialist teacher. This teaching is based on very good knowledge and understanding of the games taught, and has a very good balance of practical and theoretical work. Lessons are carried out at a brisk pace and with a good sense of humour. Pupils respond very well to this, trying hard and doing all they can to improve their work. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 can set out equipment and accurately assess health and safety issues in a range of activities. Teaching and learning in an after-school sports club was highly successful and made a very effective contribution to achievement in games. Boys and girls were equally involved in a game of tag rugby. Learning in indoor physical education, however, is held back by the very limited space in the hall that restricts pupils’ opportunities for hard exercise. Almost all pupils reach or exceed

p.26

Commentary

the nationally expected standard in swimming.

p.26

Commentary

55. The co-ordinator has good management skills and a very clear vision for the subject, including staff development and use of expertise from outside the school. Resources for learning are good, and very good use is made of the grass area. The school’s plans to extend the hall will improve opportunities for indoor physical education.

p.26

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 27 56. It was not possible to observe lessons in these subjects during the inspection. Discussion with pupils and their parents, however, indicated strong support for this aspect of the school’s work, which is used to maintain and promote considerate behaviour and to involve pupils in dealing with potential problems at an early stage. The high quality of personal development, behaviour and attitudes observed during the inspection and reflected in the views of parents indicates that this provision is successful. St Margaret’s Collier Street Church of England Primary School - 28

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspection judgement Grade The overall effectiveness of the school 2 How inclusive the school is 1 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

p.28

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

p.28

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 1 Attendance 4 Attitudes 1 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 1 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

p.28

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 1 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 1 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 1 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 1 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

p.28

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 2 The governance of the school 2 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 2 Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

p.28